Afghanistan’s ex-president settles in UAE with $169 million of stolen cash

Afghanistan’s ex-president settles in UAE with $169 million of stolen cash
Afghanistan’s ex-president settles in UAE with $169 million of stolen cash
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds.

  • Afghanistan’s ousted president emerges in the UAE.
  • Ashraf Ghani is accused of looting $169 million from Afghanistan’s treasury.
  • UAE “welcomed” Ghani and his family “on humanitarian grounds”.

The United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Ministry issued a statement today announcing that the country has taken in Afghanistan’s ex-president Ashraf Ghani and his family “on humanitarian grounds” after the ousted president fled Afghanistan on Sunday as the Taliban approached Kabul.

0a1a 42 | eTurboNews | eTN
Afghanistan’s ex-president settles in UAE with $169 million of stolen cash

Ashraf Ghani and his family are now settled in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.

“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” brief statement, posted to the UAE Foreign Ministry’s website read in full.

Ghani fled Afghanistan several hours before the Taliban radical movement entered Kabul without encountering any resistance.

It’s not clear what route he traveled to the UAE or when he arrived there. Earlier, Kabul News said that he stopped in Oman, where he arrived from Tajikistan. The newspaper Hasht-e Subh Daily said Ghani had flown into Oman from Uzbekistan.

He left the Afghan capital in the company of his wife Rula Ghani and two other persons, allegedly taking $169,000,000 of stolen cash with him. According to the Russian Embassy in Kabul, the Ghani tried to abscond with so much cash that it couldn’t fit into his helicopter and some had to be abandoned at the airport.

Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Zohir Agbar said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, taking with him $169 million from the state treasury.

The diplomat called the escape of the Afghan president “a betrayal of the state and the nation” and added that Ghani had stolen $169 million from the treasury.

According to the ambassador, he will appeal to Interpol with a request to arrest Ashraf Ghani and bring him to an international court.

Some other high-ranking officials and politicians followed Ghani in leaving the country, among them, Marshal Abdul-Rashid Dostum, and Atta Muhammed Nur, who earlier declared a war on the Taliban in Balkh province, former deputy chief of the National Security Council Serur Ahmad Durrani, former Defense Minister Bismillah Mohammadi and Herat province’s militia commander Mohammad Ismail Khan.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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